Viking 1965

italian program {s Hundreds of students, faculty, and towns- people traveled back centuries through 11 lectures commemorating anniversaries of two Florentine masters, Michelangelo Buo- narroti and Dante Alighieri. Following a triumphant Michelangelo lec- ture series, the Dante lectures brought to Portland State Dante authorities of such stature as John Ciardi, poetry editor of the Saturday Reuiew; Chandler B. Beall, head of the Universitv of Oregon comparative lit- erature department; Giose Rimanelli of the University of British Columbia, and Robert J. Clements, director of the University of New York graduate school of comparative literature. The celebration of the septicentennial of Dante's birth began in an atmosphere of Italia during PSC's first Italian festival which included an art show with four Rodin drawings and model stage sets by Norman Bel Geddes for the 792I production of the Di,uine C omedy. Portland State's Michelangelo series, one of the many held throughout the nation on the artist's quattrocentennial anniversary, was extremely popular. The quality of the PSC-produced series sur- prised no one. It was the 500-plus turnout packing the Old Main auditorium for each lecture that bowled over the ptanners. The program's prime movers, the Rev. I\fichael Ricciardelli, lecture coordin ator, and Fred Harrison of the English department, ex- pected intimate groups of about 30. The Michelangelo series began in tr'ebruary of 7964; it ended in December with Charles LeGuinn's "Florence of Michelangelo and Dante, Economical, Political, and Social,', a transition between the two programs. ft-,1' ,1 ff*'# ':?:*'#*